Posts

Spain: Marta Piekarska will replace Twan van de Nieuwenhuijzen on the jury of Benidorm Fest 2024!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

RTVE, the Spanish national broadcaster, has just announced a change on the expert’s jury composition that will decide half the outcome of this year’s Benidorm Fest.

In detail, Twan van de Nieuwenhuijzen, the Head of the Dutch Delegation at Eurovision, will not manage to serve his duty as a jury member in Benidorm Fest 2024 as he cannot attend the galas for personal reasons. Instead, Marta Piekarska, the Head of the Polish delegation at Eurovision, will replace him.

Experts’ jury

The experts’ jury at Benidorm Fest 2024 will consist of eight individuals, four domestic and four foreigners, all of them professionals.

  • Beatriz Luengo (Actress, dancer, singer, composer, known for her roles in the iconic series “Un Paso Adelante” and her musical achievements, including two Latin Grammy Awards – Head of the Jury)
  • Guille Milkway (Producer, DJ, singer of La Casa Azul)
  • Ángela Carrasco (Singer, Actress)
  • Carlos Baute (Spanish singer, composer, actor and presenter)
  • Lee Smithurst (Head of UK delegation)
  • Nicoline Refsing (Artistic Director of Eurovision 2014)
  • David Tserunyan ( Head of the Armenian delegation)
  • Marta Piekarska ( Head of the Polish delegation)

Benidorm Fest 2024

Sixteen artists will take part at Benidorm Fest 2024, the Spanish selection process for Eurovision 2024. The sixteen participants will compete in two semi-finals of eight, while eight participants in total will advance to the Final, vying for the ticket to Malmö.

These are the participants of the first semi-final (in the official running order):

  1. Lérica – “Astronauta”
  2. Noan – “Te echo de -“
  3. Sofía Coll – “HERE TO STAY”
  4. Mantra – “Me vas a ver”
  5. Miss Caffeina – “Bla, bla, bla”
  6. Quique Niza – “Prisionero”
  7. Angy Fernández – “Sé Quién Soy”
  8. Nebulossa – “ZORRA”

These are the participants of the second semi-final (in the official running order):

  1. María Peláe – “Remitente”
  2. Dellacruz – “Beso en la mañana”
  3. MARLENA – “amor de verano”
  4. st. Pedro – “Dos extraños (Cuarteto de cuerda)”
  5. Jorge González – “Caliente”
  6. Yoly Saa – “No se me olvida”
  7. Roger Padrós – “El temps
  8. Almácor – “Brillos platino”

The first semi-final will take place on January 30, the second semi-final on February 1, while the Grand Final will take place on February 3.

Last year’s Benidorm Fest winner and hence the Spanish representative in Liverpool was Blanca Paloma, with her song “Eaea“, finishing in the 17th place of the scoreboard.

https://youtu.be/Vw6qPWhjevk

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: RTVE

Spain: Barcelona Eurovision Party will be held on April 4th to 6th !

/0 Comments/in , /by

It’s time to shine your dancing shoes, because the has just announced its 2024 three-day program.

Eurovision pre-parties are a great way for fans to meet other fans and party with their favorite Eurovision artists. And 2024 will be no exceptions.

One of the newer and larger parties, the Barcelona Eurovision Party, has been going strong since 2022 – and in 2024, the tradition lives on. With a star-studded program and the promise of a good time, it’s time to purchase your ticket if you haven’t already. Here’s a rundown of what you can expect every day for the three days that the party is happening:

Thursday, April 4th: dance party

April 4th is the opening night of the party. Here, you can partake in dancing, drinking and having fun at the Sala 2 Safari Disco Club. The DJ promises to play all your Eurovision favorites so you can sing along all night. Purchase your ticket for the event here.

Friday, April 5th: youngsters and justice

Friday is another exciting day during the program! From 6pm to 9pm, you can enjoy music from some of the youngest Eurovision participants. And from 9pm until the break of dawn, you can experience some of the robbed Eurovision artists on stage. Did your favorite act not do as well as you hoped? Come cheer them on and give them the love they deserve at this event! Both events of the day will be held at La Terrrazza, and you can get tickets for ESC Young here and Euro Justice here.

Saturday, April 6th: The big party

Saturday is the big day! You can look forward to a HUGE party with all your Eurovision favorites. No names have been confirmed so far, but we know that a very special performance will take place: The winners of FANVision 2023, Mirko Buljan and legendary drag performer Maxima Love, will take the stage with their rendition of “My Way” by Tone Sekelius. It’s guaranteed to be an amazing evening, night and morning! You can buy tickets right here.

More information and links to all ticket-purchases can be found here!

Stay tuned on EurovisionFun to stay up to date on all the latest news about the world’s largest music competition!

Source: BCN Eurovision

Spain: PrePartyEs 2024 dates announced!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Just a while ago, the organizers of the pre-party, announced that the PrePartyEs is going to take place once again in 2024, and it is scheduled for the last weekend of March.

The PrePartyEs of Madrid, is set to take place again, but this time, for three nights! The party that is taking place for the last nine years, will have the following nights:

  • March 28 – EuroClubES Dress Party
  • March 29 – PrePartyES Opening Night
  • March 30 – PrePartyES

27 out of the 37 artists taking part in Eurovision 2023, performed in the previous pre-party. Also many more artists performed as guests, like Konstrakta (Serbia 2022), Poli Genova (Bulgaria 2011, 2016) and Ivi Adamou (Cyprus 2012).

Tickets will be available for sale in September 1st at 12:00 CET, and can be bought here.

Source: eurovision-spain.com

Spain: Ruth Lorenzo expresses her frustration on a participation on Benidorm Fest 2024!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

Despite her strong interest, Ruth Lorenzo has decided not to take part in Benidorm Fest 2024. The singer who represented Spain at Eurovision 2014 has revealed that she was considering taking part in the next RTVE national final, but this year’s rules will prevent her from doing so.

Through her social media accounts, the singer explained that she wanted to participate with her song “Woman”, one of the tracks of her latest EP. In order to be able to compete, she decided to remove it from her album, before its release on April 14.

However there was a change in plans. Ruth Lorenzo said:

“I was informed, unofficially, that this year at Benidorm Fest they were going to accept 100% songs in English.

Being the most important song of this EP, with the most important message and with a sound that marks a before and after in my career, I wanted to give you the gift of presenting it at Benidorm Fest trying to return to Eurovision after ten years. Unfortunately, “Woman” was not chosen to compete at the Festival.”

The track is set to be released on September 1st, and she considers it very important to her now that she is in a new phase of her life where she is 100% free after overcoming her problems with her previous record company.

“I am now establishing myself, as an independent label for future work”

Benidorm Fest rules allow song lyrics to be mainly in Spanish and/or another official language, however, lyrics in other languages are acceptable as long as they do not exceed 40% of the total lyrics.

The previous winner of Benidorm Fest and Spain’s representative at Eurovision 2023, was Blanca Paloma with the song “EaEa” and placed 17th in the Grand Final:

https://youtu.be/Vw6qPWhjevk

Source: eldiario.es

Follow us in all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening Eurovision:

 Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Spain: Sandra Valero will represent the country on Junior Eurovision 2023!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Sandra Valero will represent Spain at Junior Eurovision 2023, which will take place in Nice, France on November 26!

Spain has chosen its representative internally once again, among hundreds of children. Sandra is from Valencia and started singing at the age of four, and now, at the age of eleven, she is a singer, actress and model. She is a young girl with immense talent, which led her to participate in many television competitions.

Sandra will show all her talent on the Junior Eurovision stage in Nice on November 26. Right now RTVE is busy finding the most suitable song for her. In September, the music video of her song will be shot, which RTVE must deliver to th EBU by October 16.

Last year’s representative of Spain in Junior Eurovision 2022, was Carlos Higes with his song “Señorita” and ended up in sixth place, after coming second in the online voting:

https://youtu.be/uxPnSuDQQz8

Source: rtve.es

Follow us in all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening Eurovision:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the participation of Spain in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Nice!

Eurovision 2023: The viewership of the Grand Final in Spain and Ukraine!

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

The official ratings of the Contest as broadcasted in Spain and Ukraine have been published.

According to official figures, Saturday’s Grand Final was watched by over 4.8 million viewers in Spain via RTVE‘s frequency. Overall, this corresponds to 39.7% of the audience, 11.1% less than last year and 1,996,000 fewer viewers.

In Ukraine, on the other hand, over 1.3 million viewers watched Suspilne‘s coverage of the Grand Final on TV, YouTube and Facebook. With 584,000 of them watching the competition on TV noting an average percentage of 20%, which jumped to 40% during the voting. On YouTube, 473,000 viewers watched the final on the Eurovision Ukraine account, a further 147,000 viewers on the Suspilne website and 124,000 viewers on Facebook.

On the night of the Grand Final, Spain came 17th with 100 points, while Ukraine came 6th with 243!

Source: VerTele / Suspilne

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest!

Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss anything regarding your favorite music contest:

Eurovision 2023: The first Dress Rehearsal of the Grand Final!

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

Just a few minuts ago, the first dress rehearsal of the Grand Final, which is going to take place tomorrow night, took place. Eurovisionfun, was present in the M&S Bank Arena and is here to offer you a small glimpse of the rehearsals of the performances of tomorrow’s Grand Final.

🇫🇷 France – La Zarra – “Évidement”

🇨🇾Cyprus– Andrew Lambrou – “Break A Broken Heart”

🇪🇸Spain– Blanca Paloma – “EaEa” 

🇸🇪Sweden– Loreen – “Tattoo”

🇫🇮Finland – Käärijä – “Cha Cha Cha”

🇮🇱 Israel – Noa Kirel – “Unicorn”

What’s next today, is the Jury Rehearsal and as a matter of fact, it will be the first time in this year’s contest, that the jury vote will count, as in the semi-finals, it was the public alone that decided the result.

Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Liverpool:

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the latest developments regarding the the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, that is held in Liverpool!

Spain: Eurovision 2024 participation confirmed| Benidorm Fest 2024 rules published!

/0 Comments/in , , /by

RTVE confirmed Spain’s participation in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, revealing the rules of Benidorm Fest 2024.

What if the 2023 edition of Eurovision Song Contest is still under away, the Spanish national broadcaster is already looking at the 2024 edition, as the rules of Benidorm Fest 2024, the contest through which the Kingdom of the Iberian Peninsula chooses their representative, were released.

The submission process commences on 16th of May and is going to last until 10th of October. The reason behind the early beginning of the preparation is because RTVE wants they candidates to have plenty of time to prepare properly their entries. 16 artists are going to take part in the 2024 Benidorm Fest, while 6 will be under back-up status in case of circumstances changes.

This year Spain is being represented by Blanca Paloma and the song “Eaea” and they compete directly in the Grand Final of Saturday 13th of May, as the country is a Big 5 member.

https://youtu.be/NGnEoSypBhE

In the following video you can also watch the reaction of the Eurovision Fun team to the Spanish entry.

Source: Eurovoix

Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Liverpool:

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the latest developments regarding the the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, that is held in Liverpool!

Eurovision 2023: Watch video of the BIG 5 and Ukraine’s rehearsals!

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

The preparations on Liverpool for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest are on fire and it’s now a wrap for the seventh and last day of the technical rehearsals. After their first technical rehearsals, the representatives of the BIG 5 and Ukraine took the stage of the M&S Bank Arena for their second rehearsals.

The second rehearsals gave the opportunity to the delegations to fix any mistakes spotted on the first rehearsals and help the artists feel more safe and familiar with the Eurovision big stage.

Because accredited journalists are not allowed to watch both the first and second rehearsals this year, we have very little information about what this year’s artists have prepared for the Eurovision stage. EBU has just uploaded through the official Eurovision channel in YouTube a recap of today’s rehearsals. More specifically, we will have the chance to watch exclusive TV footage of today’s rehearsals.

The countries that had their second rehearsals today were the following:

  1. Germany
  2. France
  3. Italy
  4. Spain
  5. Ukraine
  6. United Kingdom

You can watch the recap of today’s rehearsals below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zWiRonGCEA

Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Liverpool:

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for all news about Eurovision 2023!

The Netherlands: All the performances of “Eurovision in Concert 2023”!

/0 Comments/in , /by

Eurovision in Concert 2023 took place in AFAS Live in Amsterdam, last night, with 29 of this year’s entrants performing live.

The concert was hosted by Cornald Maas and Hila Noorzai. Cornald has been the Dutch Eurovision commentator since 2006. Hila is a radio DJ and member of the committee that selected this year’s Dutch representatives (Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper). She also hosted the Eurovision 2021 press conference in Rotterdam.

The artists that performed last night were the following:

Albania – Albina & Kelmendi Familija

Balcan sounds and consistent vocals is what we got from Albina and the Kelmendi Family! Might be the suprise entry of this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UKBP_v3BPY

Armenia – Brunette

Brunette singing about her Future Lover with ethereal vocals and the crowds singing along. Beautiful performance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KspC8I7MXl0

Australia – Voyager

Voyager give what they promise! Rock and electronic sounds, so 2025! What is concerning though, is that even though their song is supposed to be very uplifting, the crowd was too static. Also falsetto was not always on point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx73Q68eWwU

Austria – Teya & Salena

That’s not a song where you can show off some unreal vocals, however it’s the song that will definitely make you dance! And Teya & Salena deliver, solid vocals and much much fun! One of my personal favourites and if you ask me, a finalist and highly likely a Top5 entry!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdh6cFfcfKo

Azerbaijan – TuralTuranX

TuralTuranX “tell us more” about their entry this year, however I’m still not getting it. A song that I could listen to the radio without complaining, but wouldn’t catch my eye/ear at the contest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XiT0RvJPn0

Belgium – Gustaph

The queerest entry of the year! His vocals are as good as the studio version! He is a fun guy! This is the kind of entries that I would like to qualify, even though that’s not the style of songs that I normally listen to!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgx-CPHRx5A

Czechia – Vesna

I can only comment on their vocals. They were okay. However, this entry started off as a potential winner, but I’m not getting that vibe, at least not yet. But hey! It’s just a party performance! Let’s wait for their contest rehearsals!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CocNlkxpxdg

Denmark – Reiley

Danish heart-throb Reiley, had his best performance to date. Some minor vocal issues, but overall a nice performance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuT–QEIyag

Estonia – Alika

Nice song and great vocals! But for me, it’s no more than just that. I wouldn’t be surprised if Estonia got disqualified.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UKYFFFWjgU

Finland – Käärijä

Normally, that’s a song that I can’t stand listening to for more than 10 seconds. Strangely, combined to his eccentric looks and his super nice personality, I could now handle listening to his entire Amsterdam performance! Personal opinion aside, I can totally see why this is a contender for the win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0n_sNDiAo

France – La Zarra

Unfortunately, after a statement in her personal Twitter account, La Zarra announced that she has to cancel her appearance in Amsterdam, due to personal circumstances.

Germany – Lord of the Lost

I can’t be objective, I don’t like this style of music. I can only be objective about their vocal abilities, which are on point I must admit!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmPSRnNpd0A

Iceland – Diljá

That’s a song that I would add to my daily playlist, however, this song lacks something that I still don’t know what it is! Diljá’s voice is great admitedly!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjjsWy1R93k

Ireland – Wild Youth

“Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” x “Ritmo De La Noche” x “We Are One” would be a great mashup! I low-key like this song and I loved their Amsterdam performance. But something tells me that they will struggle to qualify this year. Let’s see what happens!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NY6OODALZU

Latvia – Sudden Lights

Another performance that sounds exactly like the recorded version of their song! I didn’t see the love from the AFAS Live crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1qFm5Wtkgg

Lithuania – Monika Linkytė

Monika definitely sounds even better than the studio version of the song. She will try to claim a high placement in the rankings of the jury voting in this year’s contest! In the beginning I didn’t quite like “Stay“, I can now say that I love her vocals on this track!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSO-3m9J1js

Malta – The Busker

They were not bad, not at all sounding bad live, but were they as good as it needs to be to qualify to the final show of Eurovision Song Contest? Song-wise I think not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIswu3YrrfU

Moldova – Pasha Parfeni

Despite the technical issues with his Madrid performance, Pasha, the Moldovan 2012 representative and returning artist of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, managed to pull off his performance. Great vocals and energy overall!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7LsW-dA_0U

Netherlands – Mia Nicolai & Dion Cooper

It’s really sad to see my 2nd place to perform questionably in their own country’s party concert. Their vocals sound a bit off at times and as a duo their vocals don’t seem to connect on their live performance. I hope they fix it till their semi-final, I don’t want to see them become the shocking non-qualifier of the year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toUGDak3o1Y

Norway – Alessandra

Very much improved vocally, Alessandra, gets carried away by the strength of her song and her fans are absolutely loving it! The whistle note was so-so. She will improve, I am sure!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F97_a4eMpK0

Romania – Theodor Andrei

Theodor has a nice voice, but this song is totally “Off and On” so one would either like it or not. I don’t.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyin57pzpcc

San Marino – Piqued Jacks

Their are very very good vocally. Their lead vocalist sounds like Klaus Meine, frontman of Scorpions band. Their song is not at all bad after all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqne0dGawhQ

Slovenia – Joker Out

I simply love this band and this song! One of my favourites! I love how they sound in each and every appearance they make before the contest. I hope they continue delivering up until the Eurovision finals!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7brJYVqqgZc

Spain – Blanca Paloma

A blend of flamenco and modern sounds, bringing Spanish tradition to 2023. Her vocals are absolutely amazing. I just don’t get the hype around this entry, it is a great entry for Spain, but definitely not a top 3 entry as many fans are claiming over at social media!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ycUxy4l00M

Sweden – Loreen

Her vocals are out of this world! Another amazing performance of the former Eurovision 2012 winner and potential 2023 winner! And for those that claim that she sings with the assistance of an Auto-Tune device, I can assure you that even when she rehearsed in the corridors of Malmö Arena or Friends Arena during the Melodifestivalen season, she sounded exactly the same, or even better than the studio version! My winner for sure!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlBuzqzjnIk

Switzerland – Remo Forrer

I absolutely love his Amsterdam (and every single one of his) live performance! I can’t wait to see this song complete and staged and Remo joined by his four dancers! I think he will qualify! But let’s wait and see!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGsRTZ5sPcA

Ukraine – TVORCHI

I love TVORCHI and their song and their Amsterdam performance. They sounded really really good, I am a fan of their style of music, but I don’t see this entry winning. Let’s see another country winning this year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOFkzKOkc_k

United Kingdom – Mae Muller

Come on, she doesn’t sound as atrocious as most of the Twitter people claim. And at least she enjoys it and the crowd loves her! I hope she will do much better in Liverpool!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EMepsNxZUU

 

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news about the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool!

Photo: EurovisionInConcert